I'm Dirty!

I'm ...! - Machines at Work

by Kate McMullan, Jim McMullan (Illustrator)

Now a streaming animated series!

This construction vehicle with an attitude loves every second of his dirty job!

For fans of Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Steam Train, Dream Train comes a noisy addition to the hilarious read-aloud series from Kate and Jim McMullan, the popular creators of I'm Bad! and I Stink!

Clank! Rattle! Bang!
Who's making all that noise?
Backhoe Loader, reporting for duty.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Construction, Counting, Trucks, Transport, Storytime

40 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2006

About the author

Kate McMullan is an American children's book author.
She is the author of the Dragon Slayers' Academy series. She is married to author and illustrator James McMullan.

She also has books published under the name: Katy Hall.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learning about the life of a front-end loader, Neo had the chance to discover all the implements as well as what they can do. The life of a loader is surely not a clean one, but without them, the world would be a much dirtier place. Of course, SOMEONE has to get dirty in the bigger scheme of things. Neo hopes we can see some loaders on our future adventures and promised to check just how dirty they can get.

[Mr. Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome artwork. First read through was a little choppy, but I’m sure I’ll iron it all out with a couple more sessions.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My boys loved this book! Cute illustrations accompany the text.

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kate and Jim McMullen, I'm Dirty! (Joanna Cotler Books, 2006)

Another entry in the “kids who love heavy equipment” subgenre. The subject of this quirky little tome is a backhoe loader who's, well, kind of conceited, judging from the first four pages. There's a quick section about counting backwards from ten, then the dirty part kicks in. I was a little jarred by the subtlety of some of the dirt references when juxtaposed with the ones that hit you in the face with a week-old dead haddock, but the pre-lit crowd is probably not going to notice things like that. The Bean liked this one well enough, though it didn't have the staying power of some of our other truck books; he may pick back up on his enthusiasm for it later, though. ** ½

[Seth Schleicher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Title: I’m Dirty
Author/Illustrator: Kate and Jim McMullan
Reading Level: L
Book Level: 2.4

Book Summary:
This story is about a backhoe loader who tells his story of what he is made up of and what he cleans up while getting dirty along the way including removing trash to a giant tree stump before finishing his job of clearing a lot.


Bookshelf Genre:
__X___Picture Books

Word Choice - In this story the author uses very descriptive words with describing the main character, a backhoe loader. The author uses the main character to describe his journey in removing junk as well as the detailed adjectives as he removes and counts down specific junk and then removes a tree stump. The word choices engages readers as he describes his battle with removing the tree stump and talks his way through his challenging journey of a hards day work. I would use this story as a way to describe something in detail that they have to do as a chore or a routine at school. This would help them connect to Dirty and his hard work day.

[Maria Mascalco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm Dirty! by Kate and Jim McMullan is a great counting book that is a great way to introduce counting to children. The book is great because it has the truck picking up different amounts of different objects. For example the truck picks up "6 broken bicycles and 5 burned out barbecues." On the page, there is exactly that amount of bicycles and barbecues which allows children to interact with the book and physically count the amount of the objects making it very easy to learn.

The illustrations are very jumbled on the page which could make it overwhelming for some students, but overall I feel they would be appealing to children to read. The truck is bright and funny looking, which could make this book very appealing to children who enjoy playing with cars.

[Aolund · Rating 3 out of 5]

An energetic, informative book about a backhoe who really likes its job. Readers get to learn about the various parts of a backhoe, the kind of work it does in the course of a day, and a 10-to-1 counting sequence is included as a list of items that the backhoe is tasked to move into a dumpster. Lots of onomatopoeias and energy, probably best for an older toddler or preschool crowd.

Themes: Dirt/Mess; Machines; Construction

[Shelby Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could be a great opportunity to help make books appealing to young boys. The middle of the story includes a section focused on counting. I think this is a fun and different book for children to explore.
Topics: working machines, machine parts, daily duties, counting, responsibility, pride.

[Rebecca Grabill · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author in me loves the voice and fun and frolic if this book. The kid in me loves the dirt and grime and work in this book. The parent reading aloud loved how much my little guy loved this book. The parent reading aloud does have a little trouble sustaining the energy necessary to read this book well, however. 😜 This whole series is a hit.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son really enjoys these books, and this one was no different. I however don’t love them. Something about the way the vehicles talks just rubs me the wrong way. It kind of sounds like locker room talk, needlessly Braggy and lacking some substance. I did like the counting Segment and found it creative.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a good book for using sound effects during storytime. I like that the digger has a fun, loud personality. There are a lot of aspects about this book that would be great to make for an interactive storytime.

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was cute, I liked the counting and the rhythm this had. I don't know why I wasn't as keen on "I Stink" beacause with the countdown this follows a similar pattern to that book, but for some reason I do like it, it was really cute.
I also liked the illustrations.

[Carina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations made us think of the Amazon show "The Stinky and Dirty Show," but the show is a whole lot more fun than this book. The book is a string of words that feel like they should rhyme, but they don't.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fun little book introducing the work of a back hoe. The illustrations are fun, there is a cute little counting lesson, and it is informative. Not sure my nieces will like it, but I hope their brother does.

[Zoii Vogt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the author did a great job describing what a backhoe loader does. I especially liked the part where the loader counted down from 10; this could help a young child with counting down in a fun way.

[Lilly Schackow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is a great book to pique the interests of the students who love trucks or something similar. A teacher would need some knowledge of the different parts of the truck that are named at the beginning of the story.

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully illustrated. This is a good book about how one machine works plus a counting book in how much that machine can lift. Very clever combination.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great noises to make in this one.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as I Stink!, but still pretty good.

[Eliot Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book, including the countdown of garbage from 10!

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of a series, this book is about backhoes from the voice of a backhoe. Great illustrations. It's a fun read for young children.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A backhoeday goes through it's day getting dirty and making noise. toddler and up

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun Fun Fun for the kids.

This is a good series to do "Dad voices" for the kids.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. For those children who love truck...here you go.

[Deja Bertucci]

I hadn't read any of this series by McMullan, though I'd recommended them. Good to know what they're like. I was impressed by the counting part!

[Miss Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't like these books.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 2 year old son loved this book! He refused to let me read anything else to him at bedtime for a few days.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book. The audio is read to perfection by Steve Buscemi.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m just happy my 2 year old is really into books now.